


When You're Down and Troubled

by Wrench_Wench



Series: Fics from Wrench_Wench's Tumblr [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 17:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16877271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wrench_Wench/pseuds/Wrench_Wench
Summary: The moment Rhodey realizes he and Tony are best friends.





	When You're Down and Troubled

Tony Stark and James Rhodes shouldn’t work out as friends, but they do. Super rich, super brilliant, super privileged Tony sure as hell gets on brilliant, hard working, squarely middle class Rhodey’s nerves sometimes. But the thing is that while Tony is amazingly self-centered most of the time, he can show astounding empathy and generosity. So Rhodey thinks he’s worth the effort.

They meet while attending MIT. Tony is a teenage whiz kid, and Rhodey is a few years older, working his ass off to maintain his good grades and meet his ROTC obligations (because while Rhodey may have already respected the USAF, he probably wouldn’t have joined if they weren’t paying for the college of his dreams). Rhodey thinks the kid is a little shit, but he was an  _entertaining_  little shit, so he tries to keep him out of too much trouble. The thing is, as will always be the case, Rhodey has a life outside of Tony - class, ROTC, clubs, friends, girlfriends. With all this other stuff going on, he didn’t really realize that he was Tony Stark’s best friend until Howard and Maria Stark died.

He hears about the accident from the TV in the student union. Rhodey leaves his books, his notes, his  _everything_ , and runs to find Tony. He finds the kid packing, his face stony but his mannerisms manic. “Hey man - ”

Tony doesn’t even look up from his suitcase. “Don’t.”

Rhodey stands around awkwardly for a minute, wondering if he should leave. Just as he’s remembering  _oh shit I left my keys at the U how am I gonna get back to-_  Tony looks up at him. There’s a desperate gleam in his eyes. “Come with me.”

Rhodey doesn’t even think before he answers. “Of course, man.’

After the funeral, when the sixteen-year-old Tony is drunk and sobbing on his shoulder, Rhodey realizes that Tony is his best friend too.

**Author's Note:**

> #THEIR FRIENDSHIP MEANS A LOT TO ME 
> 
> I wrote this drabble about four years ago, and am posting it here in case of tumblrpocalypse.


End file.
